Rin's breath caught.
The mirror darkened before he could read more.
"Eryndor, look at this!"
Eryndor was standing before the pedestal.
He had not touched the stone, but the black mark on his hand had begun to glow again.
"What is it?" Rin asked.
Eryndor did not answer.
He was staring at a mirror directly behind the pedestal.
Rin approached him.
The reflection showed a scene neither of them had witnessed before.
Aelion stood in the white chamber, facing the Gods. His expression was no longer frightened. It was cold, determined, and heartbreakingly young.
"I have paid what you demanded," he said. "Now release him."
The woman who had spoken in the earlier memory stepped forward.
Her face was obscured by a veil of light.
"The bargain is fulfilled."
"Then remove the mark."
"We cannot remove what has become part of his soul."
Aelion looked toward Eryndor, who stood behind the Gods, unconscious and bound by threads of light.
"Then remove the curse."
